Please help me find Walter Isaac ACLAND and Honor RIDLER

[Lindad]

My great great grandfather was Walter Isaac ACLAND and he married Honor RIDLER. Their daughter, Honor Ann Ridler ACLAND, was born in Tiverton in April 1841.

Walter was a carpenter and died in Camberwell, Surrey in 1865 (by accidental death when his neck became caught between two fence posts...) He was 46 years old when he died so would have been born c.1819.

I have never been able to find Walter or Honor (his wife) on any censuses, so have no real idea where he was born. Likewise, I don't know where Honor Ridler was born, when or where she married Walter, or when and where she died.

I am working on the assumption (dangerous I know) that Walter and Honor were from the Tiverton area and that they married there. I wonder if their daughter Honor had any siblings?

Does anyone have access to the 1851 (or an earlier) census for Tiverton... or a local directory for 1840-ish directory which might include carpenters? |help|

[janbooth]

I have had a look in the LDS 1851 of Devon and can find no Walter ACLAND or Honor ACLAND (ACKLAND) at all. The only ACLAND with a Tiverton connection is the following family (as William is a cabinet maker, thought it was worth a mention):

William ACLAND Head M 48 M Cabinet Maker Tiverton-Dev
Mary ACLAND Wife - 45 F Tavistock-Dev
Elizth. ACLAND Daur U 29 F Dressmaker Tiverton-Dev
Emma J. ACLAND Daur U 18 F Lace Mender Tiverton-Dev
Frances ACLAND Daur U 16 F Lace Mender Tiverton-Dev
James ACLAND Son - 9 M Tiverton-Dev
Edwin ACLAND Son - 6 M Tiverton-Dev
Thomas ACLAND Son - 7 M Tiverton-Dev
George ACLAND Son - 3 M Tiverton-Dev

Address: Townsend, Tiverton
Census Place: Tiverton Tiverton, Devonshire
PRO Reference: HO/107/1889 Folio: 243 Page: 42 FHL Film: 0221039

I also looked for RIDLER (RIDDLER) with a Tiverton connection and the only two families I could find are the following:

William THORNE Head M 70 M Ag Lab Tiverton-Dev
Jane THORNE Wife M 68 F Witheridge-Dev
Mary RIDLER Daur W 49 F Crocombe-Dev

Address: Lusby Lane, Tiverton
Census Place: Tiverton Tiverton, Devonshire
PRO Reference: HO/107/1889 Folio: 11 Page: 14 FHL Film: 0221039

Harriet RIDLER Paup U 26 F Servant Morebath-Dev
Mary Ann RIDLER Paup - 5 F Tiverton-Dev

Address: I-"Tiverton Union Workhouse", Tiverton
Census Place: Tiverton Tiverton, Devonshire
PRO Reference: HO/107/1889 Folio: 359 Page: 11 FHL Film: 0221039

Sorry not to have been of more help.

Janet.

[Geoffers]

I have had a look in the LDS 1851 of Devon and can find no Walter ACLAND or Honor ACLAND (ACKLAND) at all. The only ACLAND with a Tiverton connection is the following family (as William is a cabinet maker, thought it was worth a mention)Janet.Thera re a couple more with different spellings of the surname......

HO107/1889 f143 p20
Bampton St, Tiverton
Robert ACKLAND, Head, Mar, 50, Carpenter, Tiverton-DEV
Jemmiah ACKLAND, Wife, Mar, 75, Carpenter, Tiverton-DEV


HO107/1889 f186 p18
Elmore, Tiverton
James AGLAND, Head, Mar, 29, Lab, Burlescombe-Dev
Ann AGLAND, Wife, , 30,, Ashbrittle-Som
Amlia AGLAND, Daur, , 8,, Burlescombe-Dev
Saml. AGLAND, Son, , 5,, Tiverton-Dev
Sarah AGLAND, Daur, , 3,, Tiverton-Dev
Ellen AGLAND, Daur, , 1,, Tiverton-Dev

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Lindad]

Thanks so much for these look-ups. I'm just back from holiday and it'll take a few days to get back into gear... but I'll look forward to looking at all these Aclands and Aglands a bit more carefully.

[Lindad]

It's taken a while, but I'm trying to pick up the pieces of this particular search again...

I'm interested in finding out if my William Acland (carpenter) is connected with this Robert Ackland (carpenter). I think the key may well be the 1841 census as my great grandmother, Honor Ann Ridler Acland was born in Tiverton in April 1941. Therefore, her parents, Walter Acland and Honor Ridler, must have been in the Tiverton area in 1941 even if they didn't originate from there and even if the family left shortly afterwards.

PLEASE... does anyone have the 1841 census for the Tiverton area? I would happily buy the CD - but, unfortunately, this family are the only westcountry roots that I have and so it doesn't really seem worth it. Although I may get desperate... |help|

[Karen Newman]

If Walter is the one whose death is registered in Camberwell in 1865, are you aware that there is a death in 1870 for a Honor Acland aged 63 - also Camberwell? Taken from FreeBMD so would need verification.

[Lindad]

Hi Karen! Thanks for that! No, I hadn't seen it... I've done numerous searches for 'Walter Acland', 'Honor Acland', 'Acland', 'Ridler' etc. over the last couple of years, but the name 'Honor' has never shown up - so this entry must have been transcribed recently.

I wonder who she was? I'll have to get the certificate! I suppose she could have been Walter's widow, but he was only aged 46 when he died in Camberwell in 1865. If the entry saying that Honor was 63 is correct, she would have been a lot older than him.

But, as we've discovered, anything is possible!!

Would still love to find them on the 1841 census though...

[Lindad]

Am so excited! Have finally tracked this family down on the 1851 census... not listed as ACLAND, of course, but ARLAND is close!!


I now know that Walter came from Exmouth, Devon and Honor from Somerset. Progress at long, long last!

[AnnB]

Hello Lindad

I've found Walter and Honour on the 1841 census. I'll list the whole household as I think you might be interested :)

HO107/255/11 Folio 18 Page 29
Bampton Street, Tiverton
Ann Ridler - 45 - Independent - N
Isabella Heatley - 15 [nothing else given]
Folio 19 Page 30
Jane Chubb - 45 - Sempstress - N
Elizth do - 11 - Y
John do - 8 - Y
Ann do - 5 - T
Walter Acland - 25 - Carpenter - Y
Honour do - 30 - N
Honour - 2m - Y
Elizth Lewis - 45 - Independent Y
Ellen do - 20 - N

It would appear that this is all one house, but that Ann Ridler is the 'head' with the other families renting rooms? However, Ann might have something to do with your Honour as Honour's maiden name was was Ridler.

Best wishes
Ann

[Lindad]

Oh, Ann! You star!! Thank you so much!


So, the Ridlers were in Tiverton too. And in Bampton Street. This is my maternal line but, strangely, my paternal line all came from Bampton in Oxfordshire...!

That's brilliant. Thanks a lot!! :) In fact :D !!

[AnnB]

You are more than welcome - glad to have helped. I have had a look and there do not appear to be any more Ridlers (with variations of spelling) in Tiverton in 1841.

In 1851 there were 3 Ridlers in Tiverton -
William THORNE- Head- M- 70- M- Ag Lab Tiverton-Dev
Jane THORNE- Wife- M- 68- F- Witheridge-Dev
Mary RIDLER- Daur- W- 49- F- Crocombe-Dev
Lusby Lane, Tiverton
Census Place: Tiverton Tiverton, Devonshire
HO/107/1889 Folio: 11 Page: 14

Harriet RIDLER- Paup- U- 26- F- Servant Morebath-Dev
Mary Ann RIDLER- Paup- - 5- F- Tiverton-Dev
"Tiverton Union Workhouse", Tiverton
Tiverton Tiverton, Devonshire
HO/107/1889 Folio: 359 Page: 11
(taken from the LDS 3 Counties CD)

Don't suppose they are connected, but you never know :D

Best wishes
Ann

[Mark]

Little surprise then in 1861, when Ancestry also indexes them as ARLAND.

from the image though

RG 9 / 379 / ED 10 folio 112 page 36 schedule
2 South Street, Camberwell, Surrey
Walter Acland, Head, Mar, 42, -, Carpenter & Joiner, Devnshire Exmouth
Honor Acland, Wife, Mar, -, 52, Laundress, Somerset Brushford
Honor Acland, Dau, Unm, -, 20, Servant, Devonshire Tiverton
Elizabeth Acland, Dau, -, -, 17, Servant, Somerset Taunton
Isabella Acland, Dau, -, -, 13, Scholar, Camberwell Surrey
Ellen Acland, Dau, -, -, 10, Scholar, Camberwell Surrey
Emma Annalls, Visitor, -, -, 5, -, Greenwich Kent

Mark

[Lindad]

Thanks Mark. I had actually found them on the 1861... but forgot to mention it when I was publicly rejoicing about having found them on the 1851. For this family the 1851 was the key as I had previously searched in vain on the 1861, but to know where Walter and Honor were born was a great help. Walter died in 1865... so I knew he should have been on the 1851 and 1861. It just took a while to find him! The 1851 also gave me the names of Walter and Honor's other children... and the 1841 has given the name of someone I assume to be Honor's mother!

I think the family must have all had really strong Devon accents. Acland must have been pronounced 'Arcland' or something like it. By the time of the 1901 census, Honor jnr had has married my great grandfather, Alfred Bell. Again I searched in vain for any mention of Honor Bell... but then found 'Arner' Bell. Must have been that accent again!

[Lindad]

Well now... it seems that Walter Isaac ACLAND was born in Exmouth in 1819. He married Ann RIDLER at St George's Hanover Square (!) in 1840. They returned to Devon and their first child, Honor Ann Ridler ACLAND, was born in Tiverton in 1841. Their second child, Elizabeth Joan ACLAND was born in Taunton, Somerset in 1844. The family then seems to have moved to Camberwell, Surrey where three further children were born: Mary Ann (1846), Isabella (1848) and Ellen (1849).

Walter was a Carpenter. Quite why they moved around so much remains a mystery...

Now, if only I could find the record of Walter's birth in the Exmouth parish records and the names of his parents...

Can anyone help please?

[AnnB]

You might be interested to take a look at http://www.exmouth-guide.co.uk/history.htm It gives a pretty good potted history of Exmouth.

Best wishes
Ann

[Lindad]

Many thanks, Ann. What a fascinating site. It looks as though Walter left the town just as it was beginning to boom... which seems slightly strange as presumably there would have been plenty of work around for a carpenter at that time.

At some point I am going to have to make the trek from London to Devon in order to search the parish records. I gather one of Devon's oldest and most important families was the Acland Family. I can't imagine that Walter was part of that noble family... but the name isn't very common.

I think there's more to this mystery than meets the eye! ;)

[AnnB]

There certainly were/are quite a lot of Ac(k)lands in Devon, and they were, as you say, an important family. Take a look at a couple more sites, if you haven't alrady seen them :)

http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/DCRS/Acland.html
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/fedocs.asp?FER=F2648

And you never know, you may well have a connection....... ;)

Best wishes
Ann

[Lindad]

Thanks Ann... me thinks this needs to be a project for when I have a little more time on my hands than I have right now...!